United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Has anyone heard of Dr Mackinnon? We have been referred to her and go mar 10. I am reading articles everyday and had never heard of her. My md here seems to think she is very good. I just want to make sure that we are sending Derek to someone who can handle his situation. She is located in St Louis at Washington University. Anyone who has heard of her or with her please let me know. It will be a relief to me.

I have heard her recommended. One thing to be aware of is that (I believe) she's a plastic surgeon, instead of a neurology surgeon. Both disciplines have developed techniques for microsurgery - but I'm not sure what the differences are so you may want to research that.

Best wishes for success with your search.

Ellen

Hiya...BPI surgery has in the past been treated by surgeons from several disciplines..my own surgery was done by an orthopaedic surgeon. Here in the UK it is very rare for a neurosurgeon to be involved in BPI surgery; they tend to stick with spinal and brain injuries.

One of our leading BPI surgeons is a 'plastics' man, and it's no real surprise that plastic surgeons are becoming more involved in BPI surgery since they are used to microsurgery in, say, facial reconstructions etc.

Having said that, you are wise to thouroughly check out anyone who you are considering to do your surgery. Unfortunately, BPI surgery has these past few years become 'sexy' (for want of a better word) and there are more than a few surgeons who are jumping on the bandwagon and dabbling in it.

Ask as many questions as you can, and then some. Ask about how much experience he or she has had in treating adult BPI; if they have published articles, papers or results of studies, and then ask to be put in touch with previous patients. Find out if you can where they learned their surgical techniques; if they are in touch with the leading BPI surgeons worldwide...too many questions I know, but any self respecting surgeon from any discipline should be very happy to answer them all.

I'm sure you'll succeed with your search...good luck :0)

Liz B

Dr. Nath did a fellowship (I belive) with Dr. Mackinnon... if you look at his credentials you will also see that they co-authored many publications together

http://www.drnathbrachialplexus.com/sur ... ntials.asp

I have heard of Susan Mackinnon in July 1997 she was the subject of a TV documentary in the UK
at the time she was the Professor and head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Washington Unversity school of Medicine in st Louis Missouri
She had ( at the time) recently carried out a successful nerve transplant using nerve tissue from another donor rather than the patients own body.
Professor Simon Kay from Leeds, Uk was monitoring her work very closely at the time and participated in the documentary and subsequent newspaper articles about her work.
I believe that Dr MacKinnon is quite highly regarded in this area, but of course, you will want to double check that for youself
Good Luck
Karen

In September 2001, my son was in a serious auto accident where he received injuries to the Brachial Plexus. We were told for many many months that the nerves in the arm would come back (thinking it was radial nerve palsy) 10 months after his accident, we were referred to Dr. MacKinnon at Washington University. We went with the hopes that she could do something for him at this late date as time is of the essence for surgery after such an injury. Thinking all was lost, she and her associate, Dr. Thomas Tung performed a nerve transfer on my son. The surgery lasted 10 hours. And even though the odds were against him having any change in his condition, six months later, he gained elbow flexion. This was a major victory for my son and although he does not have full motion in his left arm, he is able to use his arm and hand, building muscles that were atrophied and his shoulder is gaining strength. Dr. MacKinnon and Dr. Tung are ultimate professionals who understood our needs and were willing to take a chance...That chance worked!

From a happy Mom...Dori

Dr. MacKinnon did my nerve transfer in June of '99....If you still need info e-mail me.

From what I understand, Dr. MacKinnon is the leader in Brachail Plexus injuries. The few surgeons who deal with BPI have studied under her. You're lucky to be referred, let us know how it goes.

Well, it has been almost a year since my son had his first surgery with Dr. Mackinnon. Derek had his bullet removed, nerve transfers, and some additional surgeries locally (tendon transfers). Great news, he has regained most use of his right arm. There is some additional work that will just take much physical therapy, but overall things are looking great for him. I must say Dr Mackinnon did a fantastic job. I would recommend her excellent work to anyone having to have BPI surgery. Derek has returned to work, just part time, but it is a step in the right direction. A huge releif to his dad and I.

Can you give me further info about your nerve transfer? I went to see Dr.Susan MacKinnon last week and she recommends nerve transer for my left arm and wrist. I found her to be very knowledgeable and down to earth. I really liked her. The surgery sounds frightening though. Please let me know what your results were. Thanks.
Jean Link